Page 100 of Grumpy Billionaire Bad Boy

Seven's mismatched eyes meet mine. "I'd kill you all and not think twice."

"Get the fuck out of my apartment," I tell him, the rage in me building.

"My fucking pleasure." He looks down at London. "Call me if things don't work out with this douchebag. I can fuck you better than he can."

"That's enough." I grab his shoulders and all but drag him from the table, not stopping until I reach the front door and shove him through.

He shakes me off him and straightens his shirt. "You're just mad I'm right."

"You're so high I doubt you could get your dick up, Seven. Go home. Sober up. You're fucking pathetic."

"You wanna fucking go?" He shoves me, his hand slipping off my shoulder, his entire body falling. He struggles to catch himself from hitting the floor, lowering himself completely and slumping against the wall.

"You're the only one calling yourself an embarrassment, Seven, and nothing you're doing is proving to us otherwise. Get your shit together."

"Must be nice to be the golden child," Seven says, his words slurring.

I stop in my tracks as I'm walking away from him, his statement digging in like a knife. I turn around slowly and attempt to carefully choose my response, a million things I want to say fighting for their path out of my mouth. "Me? The golden child? Seven, you're a fucking lunatic. Leo is an arrogant, self-centered prick, and August? He's so fucking calculated and always right, it makes me sick. There's no room to be anything other than out of the way. I can't afford to go off the rails like you. Who else would hold this family together? Huh? I ask for a little privacy while I grieve, and it's met with cleaning up mess after mess from you. I'm supposed to be taking time away from this business to figure shit out."

"You're not the only one who lost someone." Seven looks up at me, something broken in his stare. His eyes are glazed over but not from whatever he's on, but because he's near tears. I've never seen him this torn apart and despite wanting to do right by him, there's nothing I, or anyone else, can do for him. Not until he truly hits rock bottom. You can't help someone who doesn't want to help themselves, they'll only pull you down with them.

I kneel beside him. "I love you, Seven. I really do. But I don't like you very much anymore." I leave Seven behind in the hallway and return to my apartment, a heavy weight following me like a shadow, cloaking me in his sadness and despair. I hate that he's hurting and there's nothing I can do about it.

Passing Leo on the way in, I ignore him and continue toward the table, my chest not relaxing until I lay my sights on London. It's not that I don't trust my siblings, but they are a little off the hinges and I don't want them to ruin whatever slim chanceI have with her before I get the opportunity to see it through myself.

"Everything okay?" Ivy says to me once I reach the table.

"Yep." I slip into the seat next to London, not realizing it wasn't the one I was sitting in before until I'm already there. I run my hands through my hair, tugging it tightly. "Everything is fine."

London gently places her hand on my shoulder, rubbing it ever so slightly. "Do you want to talk about it?" Her voice soothes me unlike anything I've ever known. I don't want her to have this effect on me, this power over me.

But I especially don't want Seven to have the ability to ruin my day—not one that I intend to take London on a date later.

August clears his throat. "He's going to be fine. Just needs some time."

"How much time?" I ask him. "He's been this way his entire life. There's something wrong with him. He needs professional help."

Ivy shrugs. "He won't do it. I've tried. And the few people that he's gone to, they've turned him away after a couple of visits. He's out of control."

"He needs to be institutionalized," I suggest. "I don't even mean that in a condescending way. I just don't know what else can be done."

"He's too dangerous," Ivy says. "He'd kill them all." She catches what she says the second it's out of her mouth, looking over to London to gauge her reaction.

I watch her carefully too, unsure how she'll respond to us speaking so candidly about our fucked-up brother.

But London remains there, no surprise hidden in her features but very cognizant of our conversation.

"I'm sorry," she announces. "Did you want me to leave the room so you guys could talk privately?" London goes to stand up but Ivy puts her hand out to stop her.

"No, it's fine. You've already seen his outbursts. There's no denying his true nature now." Ivy leans back in her chair. "I hate to say it, but he's a lost cause."

My heart aches for her—only being able to imagine what it must feel like to have a blood brother, one that I shared a womb with, who acts so incredibly opposite in all the worst ways. She does everything she can to diffuse him, and still, he's a ticking time bomb that's set on exploding. And the more she makes it her problem, the more it consumes her life. She deserves better than that, we all do.

I can't fathom this is fun for Seven either. I know he doesn't choose to be like this, but there has to be some tipping point for him to want to change, to be better, if not for himself then for his twin sister.

Chapter 25

London

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